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Topic : 05/09 Finding Allene and Mollie

Number of Replies: 406

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Created on : Friday, May 05, 2006, 07:00:27 am

Author : DrPhilBoard1

Join Dr. Phil on an incredible journey in search of two missing girls, Allene, 13, and Mollie, 15, who were abducted by their father a year ago. The search is filled with suspense, traveling thousands of miles away from the U.S. through the jungles of a Third World country. Go inside a deeply religious community, known as the Hutterites, where the members live as if they were from a previous time: girls in bonnets and long dresses, transportation by horse and buggy and no electricity or running water. Will this global rescue mission lead to the recovery of two kidnapped children? Who has them and, more disturbingly, for what purpose? Talk about the show here.

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interesting

I wonder about these situations. For being involved in a religion that is suppose to be so "christ - like" it seems he has no compassion for what this mother is going through or the effects NOT having their mother could do emotionally to these girls. I don't understand a group that would keep children away from a mother who very obviously cares about them.
And as far as his responsibility to his actions - I don't think not believing in a law is an excuse for breaking the law. He doesn't want to be prosecuted? Then he shouldn't have kidnapped his girls. He should have done the right thing and worked this out with their mother. I don't see why it was necessary to kidnap them - if the girls were feeling pressure their father or they themselves should have given this mother the opportunity to adjust to their preferences. As that was not attempted first - this father will get no sympathy from me.

Kidnapping

I have no problem with the Dad's religious choices, I do however have a problem witht he fact that he is a kidnapper. It seems obvious to me that these little girls have been brainwashed, they seem so detattched from there Mother. They speak about her like she is a favorite aunt or something.

Like Michelle I suffer from depression, so the comment about her being a flake was a little offensive.

Whether the father is the custodial parent or not what he did was not only morally reprehensible it was criminal.

Allene and Mollie

I don't think what the dad did was so wrong. Apparently the girls were given to the dad for good reason. Dr. Phil himself said there must have been a good reason for him to get custody. For him to take the girls into a mennonite community was not all that wrong in my opinion. It would have been different if he was the non-custodial parent.

To me, the Amish, mennonite, and hutterites are a quaint peaceful people. I myself have often wished to be a part of that community.

05/09 Finding Allene and Mollie

One thing I noticed the father saying..."You have to put the children first" {Thats rare for fathers on Dr. Phil--I still have forgotten the guy who sent his daughter away for a year, because the step-mother didnt like her} Dr. Phil ought to give the guy a medal Im serious. That is Biblical teaching in someones life in action.

I have to say he came across as sincere.

The mother does seem to come across to me with some odd affect...{definitely mental health issues there} It comes across very strongly!

The father didnt seem to hate her or anything, just that he knew she had these problems and didnt think she could handle custody of the daughters and he loved and wanted to protect them.

Are those girls worse off being Hutterites as long as they are not abused? They are being brought up in a Chrsitian religion with conservative values. Now many may not hold those values, but there are advantages to that life--They are not going to be as likely to show up on a Dr Phil show about out of wedlock pregnancy or drug abuse. I am a Christian myself, and while I am not part of a Plain community, I definitely hold some of these values. . I dare say these girls are much better off being raised in a close knit, conservative community, since there does seem to be love there, rather then being forced into being the "average American teenager" Just the fact the mother insists on changing who they are, and she had put them in a public school at the get-go disturbs me.

If people support these girls being taken away because the Hutterite community is supposely "bad" for them even with its closer knit community and old fashuioned way of life, what about Christians of the non Plain people variety who believe in homeschooling kids? Is a rescue mission for some "poor child" held in a fundamentalist Christians home being "forced" to learn the Bible and being "homeschooled" next should a divorced parent reject those religious values of the opposing spouse?

I think the girls are better off with the father, they seem happy, not abused and the father seemed to have no problem with allowing visitations with the mother. The mother seems intent on using the courts for some sort of revenge, and with little regard for the feelings of the daughters.

No good will be served by Dad going to jail, that will only hurt the daughters.

I didnt like the views expressed about Plain People in this show. It seemed that the attitude was the girls needed saving from that way of life...which I disagreed with.

Not A Threat

Micheal is not a threat to society, himself or his daughters. If he is arrested it is simply because he has been defiant to an unjust law. How can any Mother or Father be charged with abduction of their own children unless there is abuse involved. These girls have a God given right to live their spiritual beliefs without intrusion as long as it brings no harm to them or those around them. I listened to Dr. Phil speak down on "no electricity" - "No running water"- "No TV"- " Transportation by horse and buggy". There is NOTHING wrong with anyone who "unhooks from the grid" and chooses to live as such. Albeit I would not choose to live in a religious sect such as these people , but they have a right to do so as far as I'm concerned. But who am I, just one person posting his thoughts on the internet. You may say "where are the rights of the Mother?". I say "where are the rights of the daughters when a Mother and Father divorce?" These girls appear healthy and happy--- leave them alone and stop forcing your americanized way of life down their throats.

Brain Washing

The father was wrong to kidnap the girls, but I like to be cautious when saying there is brain washing going on. We all brain wash our children in the direction we believe is best for them. I do think the father has the best intentions for the girls, no matter how backwards I believe they are. I am a Christian who home schooled my four boys and there were many times I would have liked to escape the onslaught of filth that was paraded daily before their eyes. Unfortunately, though, for them to exist in the modern world we were forced to allow them to see things so we could "talk" about it before they encountered it on their own. We all know that sooner or later our children will encounter the ugliness of this world, unless, of course, we choose to live as this father has chosen. At this point I would fear the mother would just disregard the fact that the girls have bought into this lifestyle and she would bring even more harm by forching them into an equally crazy life.It just so happens that in this country we believe our lifestyle of anything goes is the normal. Finally, if she thinks Christian school is the answer I can tell you from experience that it is no better than public. The same kids with the same issues go there and her girls will be just as harassed as they would be elsewhere.

05/09 Finding Allene and Mollie

This is the first time I've become seriously uncomfortable watching a Dr. Phil show. I believe great care must be taken here. There is going to be obvious conflict between the "modern" life Mom is living and the "old world" life that Dad and the girls lead. I'm going to watch tomorrow because I'm curious to see what direction this goes. Based on what I saw today, it doesn't appear that the culture that the girls and their dad were living in was some weird cult but rather a well established "old world culture" community (i.e. Amish, Mennonite, etc.). Although the community was hesitant at first to assist, they did so willingly in order to find the girls and no one tried to stop them from leaving when the Dad agreed to return to the USA which for him possibly meant a jail sentence. The only real drama was getting them out of the country and back to the US because Dad didn't have a passport. I work with many Amish & Mennonite people and would be concerned that those watching this show would think it would be better for these girls to be brought into a modern world that by any means isn't any more perfect or necessarily better because we have technology. My current bias would be for them to be allowed to remain in the community/culture to which they obviously feel strong ties. Dad has stated that he believes Mom has some significant problems with mental illness which was part of the reason for him leaving. We would not question a mom taking a child and "hiding" because she feared that the children's father would harm the children, why would we be so quick to judge a father who proceeded in the same manner in an effort to protect his children. It would be easy to make quick judgments because they life the "plain life" and also because it is the father taking off with the children but so far I've been more impressed with what he and the girls have said over what the mother has said.

Cult Does Not Equal Non-Christian

I am terrified by the word "CULT" While the Amish, Old-Order Mennonite and various PLAIN groups might seem weird they are often more "Christ-Like" in their beliefs than most Main stream Christian Church bodies.

As a Conservative Mennonite myself. I have studied many of the World Religions and have a Graduate degree in Religious Education. While I have not seen this show Yet. I tend to feel that we need to listen first and then evaluate things with the guidlines given in Scripture. A cult would inply that these people do not put their faith in Christ. WHile there are many cults that say that they are Christian. The key to seperate a cult from a non cult is the basis for their salvation. If Christ is the only way then according to the Christian tradition not a cult if Christ is not the only way then Cult.

The Amish and other Plain peoples do not belive that their lifestyle is EARNING their way to heaven. But it is a way to seperate from the world as it tells us in scripture to "be in the world but not of the WOrld."

The way to separate a cult from a religion is NOT belief in Christ. There are many real religions that do not hold that Christ is the way. Just because you don't subscribe to their beliefs they aren't necessarily cults.

The hallmark of a cult is control - if free choice and free will are removed from the adherents, either by physical force/restraint or by overwhelming emotional/mental pressure (i.e. brainwashing), then you have a cult.

I don't for a moment believe that the conservative Christian groups like the Mennonites or Amish are cults. But neither is Buddhism.

FINDING THE GIRLS

I WANTED TO LET MICHELLE KNOW THAT FIRST THAT'S MY NAME ALSO, AND I ALSO LOST MY DAUGHTER BECAUSE OF DEPRESSION. HER FATHER DIDN'T KIDNAP HER BUT HAS SAY ON WHEN I CAN SEE HER. IT'S HARD AND I HOPE WHEN YOU FIND THEM THAT YOU CAN GET A BOND GOING WITH THEM.